Pune Court Convicts Pakistani National for Concealing Identity to Obtain Indian Passport

Pune, 15th May 2025: A sessions court in Pune on Tuesday convicted a Pakistani national, Muhammad Amar Ansari, for misrepresenting his identity to acquire an Indian passport. The judgment was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge S.R. Salunkhe, who sentenced Ansari to the time he has already served — two years and two months — in Yerawada Central Prison under the Indian Passport Act.

While Ansari was cleared of charges related to cheating and document forgery due to insufficient evidence, the court found him guilty of hiding his Pakistani nationality in official records.

According to Milind Mohite, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Branch) and in charge of the Foreigners Registration Office, “The court has ordered Ansari’s deportation to Pakistan within 15 days. Until the process is complete, he will reside at the home of a family acquaintance and report daily to the Khadak police station.”

The prosecution claimed that Ansari had been living in India illegally between August 13, 2015, and March 14, 2023, during which time he held three Pakistani passports, one Indian passport, and a set of forged documents. He was apprehended on March 15, 2023.

Representing Ansari, defence lawyer Zaheer Pathan said, “My client has paid the court-imposed fine of ₹10,000. He was released from Yerawada jail on Wednesday evening but was taken into custody by Khadak police to complete procedural formalities, including recording his statement.”

Senior Inspector Shashikant Chavan of Khadak police confirmed that, “Ansari will be presented before the Foreigners Registration Office, and we will submit a report to initiate the deportation procedure.”

Additional Public Prosecutor Anil Kumbhar, who led the case for the state, relied on the depositions of six witnesses to argue that Ansari had deliberately concealed his Pakistani origins while applying for an Indian passport.

The court noted that following the death of his grandmother, Ansari had applied for an Indian passport to visit his brother in the UAE. In his application, he listed Pune as his birthplace and claimed Indian citizenship by birth, supported by Aadhaar and PAN cards. The court ruled this as a violation under Section 12 (1A)(a) of the Indian Passport Act.

“The prosecution has successfully proven that the accused misrepresented his nationality to secure an Indian passport,” Judge Salunkhe observed. “However, the charges of cheating and forgery could not be substantiated with adequate evidence.”